This article aims to trace a brief history of hill villages in the present Kokone county of Iwate prefecture during the Edo period. These villages were originally migrated by the war remnant defeated by Hideyoshi Toyotomi and came to be governed by Nobunau, Nambu, new fewdal lord. As the climate was not adequate for the oaddy-field agriculture, villagers was forced to make their living in the lowest condition comparing with other areas. Since the latter part of the Edo Period when iron mine was discovered, the economic life of villagers suddenly changed from static to active one. Raw iron of which yearly output was well over forty to fifty hundred kans was exported to many clans not only in the Tohaku but also Kanto area. Although the iron industry was actually under financial control of te city merchants, the living condition of villager become to be better off. With the change of economic life brought about by the rise of iron industry, such new industries became popular among villagers as charcoal, silk-raising, silk-reeling, fish-oil and salt industries and villagers who engaged acitvely in them had come to live in ease and comfort. These villages might develop more rapidly and could take a leadership in industrializing of the district, if the han government took more progressive policies for encouraging iron and other iron and other industries. Actually, however, it taxed villagers more heavily and prohibited strictly to introduce new tecnology. This was a reason why these villages were economically devastated when once Takato Odhima built a westetrn-type furnece in Kamaishi and started a modern iron works first time in Japan.

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The purpose of this article is to consider the regional differences in introducing and spreading trasport vehicles during the early Meiji period. Generally speaking, transport vehicles were first introduced into cities and then were spread over the suburban and local areas. In condidering the whole aspect of the diffusion of transport vehicles, we can find two types of areas, that is middle Japan type and type of the rest areas. The former, where quick diffusion of transport vehicles could be seen, is divided into two areas: (1) Tokyo and Osaka type where the spread of vehicles were very fast but soon became slow down, (2) Kochi, Gifu and Mid type where quick and constant spread could be seen. The latter, where introduction of vihicles was seen more slowly is also divided intotwo areas: (1) Yamaguchi and Fukuaka type where the diffusion could be seen particularly after Chino-Jaoanese and Ruso-Japanese wars, (2) Shikoku type where introduction of transport vehicles were the most retarded. I think that these differences is mainly based on such conditions as railroad construction, stages of industrial development, number of population and so on.

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Hikan in the Saga clan, different from that of other clans, had still remained a characteristics of middle ages. It was a special statous distinguished from each each of the bushi, peasant and merchant. This shows that the separation of the statous between bushi and common people had not been compleated. However, I believe that the Hon government intentionally tried to keep up the old hikan statous in order to make hikan military servant in case of emergdncy as taxpayer. This article is written to make clear such dual characteristics of hikan in the Soga clan by using the original historical documents still remained in the county.

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'Kai-yuan-tung-pao' is a coin was circulated during the T'ung dynasty. Both in China and Japan, however, there have been two different opiniond on how to read the coin-stamp. One read the stamp as Kai-yuan-tung-pao this was supported by Dr. shigeru Koto. The other read as Kai-tung-yuan-pao and Mr.Shokoh Okudaira supported this opinion because this way of reading could be seen in the 'Tung-tien' of Sung-pan (Sung edition). I would like to support Dr.Kato's opinion by reason of (1) the way of reading, Kai-yuon-tung-pao', is seen on the Tung-tien of Sung edition in the collection of the Imperial Household Agency, and (2) same way of reading is found on the Tang-hui-yao which is one of the most authoritative document in the T'ung dynasty.

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